


Dive Right In

by throwingup



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Swimming, Awkward Clarke Griffin, Clexa, Confident lexa, F/F, Flirting, Lots of it, Slow Burn, idk where this is even going, might be a one shot if i can't be bothered to write another chapter, which is likely
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 06:24:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13358385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/throwingup/pseuds/throwingup
Summary: Clarke Griffin is a top level college swimmer and is busy training for nationals. When a mysterious new girl arrives at the pool, however, things start to change for Clarke - for better AND worse.Clexa swimming AU





	Dive Right In

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fic ever. Writing was never really something I've always wanted to do (I've actually steered well clear of it minus school assignments haha) but I'm a sucker for good romance and when I watched Clarke and Lexa's relationship finish so soon on the show I felt like it was a real waste of an opportunity to properly develop what could've been such a great story. 
> 
> So I ended up here, and eventually after reading heaps of different works I figured I'd give it a go myself.
> 
> Idk where this story is actually going to end up like I literally have no clue, I just had an idea and tried to start it so any suggestions as to an actual plot would be great please and thanks lol

Clarke always loved the atmosphere of the pool in the afternoon – the somewhat refreshing fragrance of the chorine radiating from the water, the rhythmic splashing of lap swimmers echoing through the leisure centre, the gentle murmur of chatter filling the air. 

 

It was a truly wonderful, vibrant environment, and as she wandered out of the change rooms and onto the pool deck, Clarke always wondered how it could be both her favourite place _and_ the source of so much physical and mental suffering – twice a day, for two hours, to be exact.

 

However, it was the suffering that Clarke so desperately needed – or rather craved, both morning and afternoon. Whether it was when her body was being slammed to its limits by a 200 metre freestyle sprint at the end of a set, or when the all-too-common burning sensation nestled itself deeply into her shoulders during a long distance time trial, she found her stresses and problems draining from her body as she devoted herself entirely to finishing the session. The ensuing combination of overwhelming fatigue combined with the buzz of a wave of endorphins made her feel invincible. 

 

Despite the invincibility Clarke felt after her training session, walking down the pool deck towards the end of the pool was an emotional experience to say the least. It was a mental game more than anything, and making the long trip down to where Coach Kane and the rest of her squad were gathered before the session started felt like it held a much higher significance than a simple journey from one end of the pool to the other – more like a journey that sealed her fate for the next couple of hours.

 

It was as if Kane knew the psychological battle that swimmers had to endure prior to beginning a session and accounted for it in an effort to provide the most unpleasant pre-training routine possible. It would be just as easy to have everyone start at the end of the pool nearest the change room, instead of giving them 50 metres to contemplate whether the extra fitness and fast metabolism was really worth the effort they were about to put in.

 

To make matters worse, it was a Thursday, which meant that she would have to face Kane’s favourite time of the week, ‘happy hour’. Contrary to the positive connotations of the name itself, ‘happy hour’ was in fact the opposite of a source of happiness. In fact, both aspects of the name were completely contradictory to the occasion – more often than not it lasted for an hour and a half, and could only be described as a legal form of torture. Each week there was a ‘ _new and exciting theme_ ’, as advertised by Kane, which included different aspects of swimming like long distance, kicking, arm work and anaerobic endurance. No matter the theme, he always managed to make everyone suffer.

 

As Clarke neared Kane, she began to see the usual sadistic smile he wore when he had a particularly difficult session planned out. Her heart sank.

 

“Afternoon, Clarke!” Kane beamed. Clarke couldn’t resist the urge to roll her eyes, which he noticed immediately. “We’ll see how much time you have for sass in today’s ‘happy hour’,” he added, nodding with a smirk towards the clipboard in his hand that undoubtedly contained the contents of today’s session.

 

“Oh, trust me Coach, I can’t wait,” Clarke retorted, dumping her float bag at the end of her lane and making her way over to the rest of her squad, who had congregated in the seated area beside the end of the pool. 

 

“Did you hear about Kane’s plans for us today?” Octavia, along with the rest of the squad, looked exhausted already.

 

“All he told me is that I ‘ _wouldn’t have time to be sassy_ ’, but not much else other than that,” Clarke mimicked Kane’s earlier remarks, which would usually earn a giggle from Octavia. When all she received was a groan, however, she knew it wasn’t going to be good news. “Ugh, please tell me we’re not doing sprints,” Clarke pleaded, “I just had a gym session this morning and I don’t think my body can take much more.”

 

“You bet we are, princess,” Bellamy grinned from the other side of Octavia. Bellamy always seemed to enjoy watching everyone else suffer, despite the fact that he would be going through the exact same thing.

 

“Remind me why we do this again,” Clarke grumbled.

 

Suddenly, Clarke felt a pair of hands land on her shoulders, making her jump.

 

“Because, Clarkie, nationals are a month away and you need to get your fat ass in shape before then!” Raven teased, slapping Clarke’s bum before throwing her a wink.

 

“Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me _Assistant Coach Reyes_.” Clarke pouted at Raven. “How on earth did you even manage to land a coaching position anyways?”

 

“Well we all know how important a member I was to the team, and Kane agreed that you all simply couldn’t live without me so here I am – blessing you all with my presence once again!”

 

“I said no such thing,” Kane asserted from behind her, not bothering to look up from his clipboard. Raven shrugged his protests off.

 

“Plus, I know how much you all missed my irresistible sense of humour when I was in the hospital so I figured I had no choice but to bring it back.”

 

Clarke laughed in response, but soon returned her attention to her best friend’s leg. “Seriously though Raven, how’s it feeling? Is the brace holding up okay?”

 

“It’s been better, but the doctors say a nerve impingement like this is hard to predict, it could take any time from a few months to a few years to heal…” Raven’s face dropped momentarily, but was seemingly instantly replaced by a smirk. “But hey – at least you won’t have to worry about any surprise comebacks from the only girl in this squad who has ever beaten you in the 100 metre freestyle.”

 

Clarke narrowed her eyes at that comment, which only boosted Raven’s confidence.

 

“Hey – you and I _both_ know the only reason you won that race is because you false-started.” Clarke tried her best to act assertive, but judging by the amused expression on Raven’s face, it wasn’t working.

 

“Alright, I want all of you in the water in no less than a minute – it’s time to warm up for our favourite time of the week!” Kane shouted to the squad, almost giddy with excitement. A collective groan sounded from the seated area, before everyone began to make their way over to the edge of the pool. Clarke dipped her toes in tentatively, only to be greeted with the sharp chill of the icy water.

 

“Fuck! There’s no way you’re expecting us to get in there today, is there?” Clarke looked over her shoulder with desperation. Kane let out another laugh.

 

“Just get in the damn water, Clarke.”

 

Raven waggled her eyebrows, talking to Kane at a volume she was sure Clarke could hear. “Wouldn’t it be a shame if someone pushed her in before she could get in on her own terms?”

 

Clarke scowled at Raven, quickly showing her middle finger before jumping into the freezing water. 

 

The initial shock caused her to hyperventilate briefly, much to Raven’s amusement, but Clarke knew it was better to get it over with and start swimming instead of prolonging the discomfort. The cold usually only lasted for a few laps of the pool at most, and as Clarke’s muscles began to finally warm up, her arms started to relax into comfortable, rhythmic strokes up and down the pool. Getting into the water was often the most difficult part of training (especially in the morning), so once that hurdle had been cleared, _physical_ discomfort was the only problem Clarke faced in the pool.

 

Clarke grinned to herself as, despite being underwater, she heard the unmistakable shriek as Octavia entered the pool. She had apparently perfected the art of missing warm-up, almost _always_ jumping in as Clarke was reaching the end of her final lap. Perhaps the most infuriating part of it all was the fact that no one else had any clue as to how she managed to pull it off – either they were too busy warming up to listen, or Octavia would simply wink and turn her back when asked.

 

Reaching the wall, Clarke grabbed her drink bottle and had a quick sip of water before waiting for the others to finish warming up. When they arrived, Kane approached the edge of the pool, still smiling to himself.

 

“Alright guys, I know you’re all excited to start today’s session so listen up.”

 

Clarke groaned and accepted her fate for the rest of the afternoon.

 

 

***

 

The session went by fairly quickly, but by the end of the final set Clarke could hardly lift herself out of the pool due to exhaustion. She kicked one of her legs up onto the side of the pool and, with every ounce of strength she had left, rolled her body onto the pool deck so she ended up on her back, staring at the criss-crossed support struts under the ceiling of the leisure centre.

 

Yep, sprints officially sucked.

 

Her post session collapse was suddenly interrupted by Kane’s voice from above her, behind her head. “Clarke, get up off the ground - there’s somebody I’d like you to meet.” 

 

“Oh my God, Kane! Give me a second to catch my breath, would you?” Clarke snapped, before the awkward silence that followed told her that Kane was not alone. She cursed at herself. Making good first impressions was something Clarke struggled with under normal circumstances, let alone on the brink of some sort of cardiac emergency on the side of the pool. She had never mastered the art of small talk, and as a result often came across as awkward or disinterested.

 

As the silence continued to grow around the heaving of her breath and the rise and fall of her chest, the sound of someone clearing their throat reminded Clarke that there was still someone waiting to meet her. Clarke slowly rolled over onto her stomach, and pushed her body off the ground. She was still unable to complete the task in one smooth movement, and had to clamber onto her knees before standing up. 

 

Clarke lifted her head up to meet the stranger, and froze.

 

The girl in front of her looked to be about the same age as Clarke - somewhere in her early twenties. She had square framed glasses, and her light brunette hair was tied up in a tight bun. She was wearing a black hoodie and slim grey track pants (which seemed to hug her legs just enough to hint at her toned physique, but not enough to satisfy Clarke’s curiosity as to what lay beneath) combined with black Nike training shoes. However, none of these features were the reason for Clarke’s sudden loss of breath.

 

Honestly, this was perhaps the most stunning girl she had ever laid eyes on, but not in a typical fashion. Sure, her lips were full - possibly the perfect size in proportion to the rest of her face; her nose was slightly smaller than average and curved gently, bridging the contrast between her sharp cheekbones and the skin that looked almost too smooth to be true; her jawline was subtly purposeful, yet not sharp enough to drown out the softness of the rest of her features; and those eyes, _oh my god_ those eyes, Clarke thought to herself.Green had never been a colour Clarke took much notice of before, but it was quickly becoming her new favourite.

 

However, there was something else about the girl - something different. Plain, pure beauty was always an abstract concept to Clarke, and now that she was faced by it, any awareness of the surrounding world had escaped her. 

 

That was, until a splash of water from the pool violently yanked her back to reality. She found herself gawking at the girl in front of her, who looked back at Clarke with her arms folded, eyebrows raised expectantly.

 

Kane seemed to sense an uncomfortable silence unfolding, and decided to try and prevent it from progressing any further. 

 

“Clarke, this is Lexa.” Kane cleared his throat. “She’s just recently moved to town and has decided to join our squad for a while to train with us as she finishes settling in and finds her feet a little.”

 

Clarke quickly regained her composure, blinking hard to break away from the piercing gaze of those enchanting green eyes. She extended her hand to greet the girl.

 

_‘Come on, Clarke you fucking idiot, she’s only another human being, you can do this,’_ she thought.

 

“Hi, I’m Clarke,” the blonde greeted, confidently, before realising she’d mucked up after three words. Her confidence evaporated as quickly as it appeared. “I - I mean, you already know that of course - Kane just said my name to you for crying out loud!” Clarke stammered, laughing nervously. This wasn’t going well.

 

The girl opposite her remained unmoved, expect for her eyebrows which had travelled slightly further up her forehead.

 

_‘Yep, good job Clarke, you’re officially still a fucking idiot,’_ Clarke mentally berated herself.

 

Nonetheless, the brunette took Clarke’s hand and shook it, intensifying their eye contact. Clarke tried to ignore how soft her hand was, and how naturally it seemed to slip into hers.

 

“Hi, _Clarke_ , I’m Lexa.” She spoke smoothly, with extra emphasise on the ‘k’ in Clarke. “Oh, wait, you already know that! Silly me!” Lexa feigned surprise, clearly exaggerating.

 

The sudden change of character from the brunette startled Clarke. If the sprint set had disguised her blushing earlier, it definitely did nothing to cover the blood rushing to her cheeks now.

 

“She’s funnier than you, Clarke!” Kane chuckled. “I’d watch out, I’ve heard she’s not too bad in the water either.” 

 

_‘For the love of all things holy, Clarke Griffin, redeem yourself, she’s running circles around you!’_ Clarke thought. She had a limited opportunity at making a good first impression, and her window was closing fast.

 

“Is that so?” Clarke questioned, regaining her cool slightly and playfully raising an eyebrow at the brunette. If Clarke wasn’t mistaken, she could have sworn she saw the corners of the brunette’s mouth curl up ever so slightly into a smile.

 

“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.” Lexa winked at Clarke, unbeknownst to Kane.

 

“Come on Lexa, let’s get the paperwork out of the way so you can join us for our next session.” Kane turned, inviting Lexa to join him.

 

“I’ll see you around, _Clarke_.” Lexa teased, again placing an emphasis on the ‘k’, before swiftly turning on her heel and following Kane down the pool deck towards the front office.

 

Clarke was left standing in the same spot, completely and utterly dumbfounded by what had just occurred.

 

_’Was that girl flirting with me?’_

 

She began to play back the entire exchange in her head. Although Clarke wasn’t exactly well acquainted with the art of flirting, as she re-examined the way the girl quirked her eyebrows as she left in her head, she became increasingly convinced that she wasn’t crazy. The conversation hadn’t exactly gone to plan, she thought, but a little bit of flirting had to be a good sign, right?

 

Suddenly, Clarke realised she still hadn’t responded to Lexa (again), and before she could stop it, her brain had entered panic mode and landed on what it thought to be the most appropriate response to the current situation.

 

“Thanks!” 

 

As soon as it left her mouth, Clarke instantly wished she could suck the word back into her mouth and chew it into a thousand pieces. Any slither of dignity she had managed to recover throughout the brief exchange with the goddess in track pants was completely and utterly destroyed. 

 

If Lexa had heard Clarke’s parting remark, she made no sign of it whatsoever, but Clarke knew she had spoken way too loudly for her not to hear her. She sighed in defeat, slumped her shoulders and turned to walk to her float bag at the end of the pool, only to see Raven standing behind her. She wore an all too familiar smug grin on her face, and Clarke knew what was coming.

 

“How long have you been standing there, Rae?” Clarke resigned to the imminent tsunami of taunts she was about to receive.

 

“You are literally the most ridiculous human being I have ever seen.” Raven’s grin didn’t falter and Clarke remained silent, expecting more.

 

When the silence dragged on for longer than she expected, a glimmer of hope found its way into her heart. Maybe she wasn’t going to get ridiculed after all. 

 

It was only when Clarke opened her mouth in an attempt to defend herself that her glimmer of hope vanished and the onslaught began.

 

“Thanks? HA!” Raven howled. “That was the most I’ve cringed since that time you ordered a smoothie and when the girl who gave it to you said ‘enjoy’ you replied ‘you too’!” Raven laughed for way longer than Clarke thought was necessary, only continuing to talk once she caught her breath. “Honestly, Griffin, you need to get your replies to pretty girls sorted out. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with less game than you.”

 

Clarke knew the only way to stop Raven from teasing was to let her tire herself out, so she continued to walk towards the end of the pool in an attempt to ignore her. When Raven started knocking on her head with her fist, asking, “Hello, is there _any_ game in here?”, however, Clarke had reached her breaking point.

 

“Alright, Raven, I get it! I can’t talk to girls!” Clarke admitted defeatedly, before jumping back on the defensive. “But in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m pretty sure she was flirting with me back there so I must’ve been doing something right!” She picked up her float bag, and began walking down the pool towards the change rooms with Raven close behind.

 

“Clarke, I’m sorry but I can’t say I did notice,” Raven let out another laugh. “…But,” she added as she saw Clarke grow visibly disappointed, “I’ll take your word for it. I mean, look at you, Griffin, you’re hot as fuck. Who wouldn’t want to flirt with you?”

 

“Thanks Raven,” Clarke sighed, “There’s just something about her that leaves me so…nervous? I can’t really explain it.”

 

“Yeah, I get you,” Raven replied, “But just try and chill out about it a little - you _have_ only just met her after all.”

 

Clarke flashed her a disapproving glare. “Raven Reyes, may I remind you of the incident in the changing room showers last year? I seem to remember you and a certain someone getting _extremely_ well acquainted in a _very_ short time.” She looked at Raven expectantly, and watched as the girl reluctantly backed down.

 

“That was a one time thing, Clarke, and you know it. Besides, she was too good of an opportunity to pass on, and it was _so_ worth it.” Raven waggled her eyebrows at Clarke, who feigned a look of disgust.

 

“Too much information, Rae.”

 

Raven giggled to herself. “Look, all I’m saying is be careful. You don’t know who she is or where she’s from, so don’t get too head over heels before you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

 

“Gotcha,” Clarke attempted to steer the conversation in another direction. “I’m guessing you’re still good to give me a ride home?”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry Clarke but I don’t think I’ll have time to drive you home tonight…”

 

“Come on, Rae, really?” Clarke sighed exasperatedly.

 

“Yeah, I’m just _so_ busy with this new coaching job I simply can’t afford to spare the time to drive the extra mile to your place.” Raven replied wistfully, faking nonchalance and flicking her hair over her shoulder dramatically.

 

“Shut up, you ass.” Clarke playfully punched her best friend in the shoulder, who theatrically curled over and clutched at the site of the punch. “This sarcasm needs to stop before someone gets hurt.”

 

The corners of Raven’s lips stretched into a wide grin, “Yeah, right, Griffin, like _you_ could ever beat me in a fight.”

 

The two girls continued their light-hearted, banter filled conversation as Clarke got changed out of her swimsuit and into her normal clothes again. As they walked out into the car park towards Raven’s Jeep, Clarke attempted to busy herself with discussion of school, nationals, what they were doing for dinner - pretty much _anything_ that would force her to stop thinking about the brunette back at the pool, and how it felt to stare into those enchanting green eyes.

 

However, Clarke was unaware that if she had turned around and looked towards the other end of the car park as she got into the Jeep, she would have noticed a certain brunette pausing momentarily whilst getting into her car, green eyes lingering for slightly too long on blonde hair, before getting in, closing the door and driving away.


End file.
